UNLABELLED
by Ballyuk
Summary: Missing scenes leading up to the ending of 5x13 (Vengeance). Lois and Martha are going through Jonathan's things and Lois finds an unlabelled videotape which contains an important and poignant family moment.


**Author's Note: I do not own the characters. This is just a short story to fill in a few gaps and display one of the show's key relationships, and I hope it's a nice lead-in to what I consider to be the most emotional scene in the show's entire run.**

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 **UNLABELLED.**

* * *

It had been a hectic couple of weeks. Lois was taking on extra shifts at the Talon as well as dealing with Mr. Kent's campaign staff in an attempt to both feel useful and to give Martha some much needed breathing space. Clark had become even more sullen and withdrawn and had thrown himself into his farm duties to such an extent he was barely seen at home. Lois pondered as to whether she should move back to the farm - she'd always been made to feel welcome anytime by the Kents - but at the same time she didn't want to feel like a cloying presence, especially if Clark wanted to be left alone. At any other time, she would home in on his brooding and bust his chops but now was most certainly not the time.

With that, she went back to sorting through the pile of Jonathan's belongings that Martha had asked her to organise, ready to be handed over to Goodwill in Metropolis. The two of them had gone through the house earlier that morning collecting various items, all the while talking about Jonathan. There were numerous teary moments as Martha recalled happier times and little memories just by looking at a shirt or a pair of worn boots or even something simple like a tie. All of them told a story. Lois found that with Martha, it was easy to drop her protective emotional walls and just be her real self when talking about the man who for her represented the positive father figure she'd always hoped to have in her life. While it was all too brief, she was grateful to have had that time. He'd had a faith and trust in her that made her want to run through brick walls for him. She'd never had anyone believe in her like that.

* * *

 _Two hours earlier._

The phone rang and Martha went to answer it as Lois continued sorting through various items. After a brief conversation, Martha came back to the living room and told Lois she needed to head out for a while to deal with a local farming community matter. Jonathan had been on the committee and it was a relatively trivial matter but not one for which he'd normally expect a home visit from other committee members. She asked if Lois could stay on until she got back, and that she'd be back before Lois had to start her next shift.

"Of course Mrs. Kent, you go ahead. If I find anything I'm not sure about, I'll keep it to one side for you."

"Thank you, sweetie. Bye," and with that, Martha left the house.

Lois pulled together some empty boxes and put clothes into them. _Not nearly as much flannel as the farmboy._ They'd already talked about Jonathan's watch and Martha had said she will give it to Clark as something Jonathan had always wanted his son to have, and there were other things like cufflinks in the pile. Lois put the cufflinks to one side as she thought it might be nice to keep them so Clark could use them on the one occasion in the future where he didn't wear plaid.

There was a box full of videotapes all labelled as home movies of birthdays, Christmases and the like, but there was one tape in there which didn't have a label. Lois put it to one side and thought that if she had time, she might watch it just to let Martha know what it contained. Martha could then decide whether or not to keep or discard it. Lois had an inkling that it was probably about another important moment in their lives simply because the tape had been kept with the others.

It didn't take long to sort through everything and soon enough, there were neat piles in the corner of the room and filled boxes beside the couch. The items Lois was unsure about were left on the coffee table, including the unlabelled videotape.

Lois looked at it and pondered whether she should pop it into the VCR to see what it was. For the briefest of moments, she wondered if it could be something that was meant for the Kents' eyes only, but they didn't come across as the type to indulge in things like that. She shook that thought away, feeling bad for even bringing it up. Then again, if she knew what was on it, she could at least tell Martha. Lois decided to play the tape, sitting down on the floor in front of the TV.

* * *

"Lois, I'm home," Martha called as she opened the front door. Lois popped her head round from the kitchen, sipping coffee from the batch she'd just made. Though she tried to hide it, it was evident that she'd shed another tear or two.

"Lois, I'm sorry I'm late. The meeting just went on longer than expected because we were tying up a few loose ends." As she looked up at Lois, she noticed her face. "Lois, what's the matter?"

Lois plastered on a cheery smile. "Oh nothing Mrs. Kent. I'm OK, really. Hey, I finished going through everything." She nodded towards the living room and walked to it. "I've put into boxes everything you said was going to charity. These few items on the table I wasn't sure about. I thought some of them might be nice to keep."

Martha looked on the table and saw the cufflinks, the unlabelled videotape and a few other items. She looked at the tape curiously.

Lois chimed in. "It was with the other tapes which you wanted to keep. I didn't know what was on it so I put it on and watched it. I hope you don't mind."

"What was it?" asked Martha.

"An old home video. I won't spoil the surprise but it made me really happy to see it. I think it's one you're gonna want to keep and I also think it will mean a lot to Clark if he sees it."

"Is that why you're…?" Martha asked, pointing to Lois' face and the fact she'd obviously been crying earlier.

Lois looked down, putting her hands in her pockets and shuffling nervously. She cleared her throat and looked at the clock. "Oh, look at the time. I'd better get going. Don't wanna be late! Are you going to be alright Mrs. Kent?"

Martha smiled. "I'll be fine Lois. Thank you for all your help. I'll get Clark to help me load all this up and then I'm heading off to Metropolis."

Lois nodded, said goodbye and left. Martha looked at the videotape on the table.

* * *

It was after 9:00 in the evening and Martha had just finished dinner - a few simple leftovers from earlier in the week. It was the first regular meal she'd prepared since Jonathan's death and she'd gone about making the same amount she usually did, only to find it was too much. That was one of the things she was going to have to get used to. As much as Clark could pile her food away, so did Jonathan, and Clark hadn't had the same appetite since his father's death.

Clark hadn't returned home yet. Still feeling a little sore from being attacked in Metropolis a couple of days ago, and worried about Clark's increasing isolation and state of denial, Martha sat down on the couch and sighed. Learning about the attack had only aroused a state of anger in him and she really didn't know how - or indeed _if_ \- he was coping.

The box of videos was beside the TV. Martha got up and had a look through it, seeing the titles which conjured up a fresh batch of memories. She'd need to find out where she could go to get the videos converted to DVD to preserve these memories. Her focus fell onto the unlabelled videotape. Lois had watched it and said it was worth keeping, especially for Clark, but Martha had no idea what was on it. She popped it into the VCR and sat back down, pressing play on the remote control. As soon as it started up, she knew what it was. She laughed at the recollection even as a few tears started forming.

She heard the door and knew Clark had come home but for a moment, she was riveted by the video. Then she turned round to look at Clark and melted at what she saw.

* * *

 **FIN.**


End file.
